Sanctions to make Iran cooperate with intl. community - Russian envoy

Sanctions against Iran will make the Islamic Republic cooperate with the international community, Russia's envoy to the UN said Monday, RIA Novosti reported.

"I really think that the sanctions can produce the desired effect, that is focus the Iranian leaders' attention on the necessity of full cooperation with the international community, the IAEA and the Iran Six, who are trying to start diplomatic talks with Iran," Vitaly Churkin told the Russia Today TV channel.

"We believe there is a chance to start these talks," he said.

On June 9, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1929 imposing a fourth set of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, including tougher financial controls and an expanded arms embargo.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned on Monday that Iran is close to acquiring the capability to make nuclear weapons and said the main goal of the latest UN resolution on Tehran was to restart the negotiation process as soon as possible.

"If diplomacy misses this chance, it will be a collective failure," he said.

International pressure on Iran, suspected by the West of pursuing a secret nuclear weapons program, increased in early February when Tehran announced it had begun enriching uranium to 20% in lieu of an agreement on an exchange that would provide it with fuel for a research reactor.